1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shift actuator for shifting the gears of a transmission and a method for mounting the shift actuator.
2. Description of Related Art
A vehicle equipped with a transmission and a shift actuator, in which the gears of the transmission are automatically changed, is known in the art (for example, refer to JP-A-2003-320861).
JP-A-2003-320861 discloses a transmission and engine in an engine (power) unit, and a shift actuator outside the engine unit. The shift actuator is connected to the transmission via a link mechanism composed of a rod and a lever.
When the shift actuator is disposed outside the engine unit, the versatility of installation of the shift actuator is increased, and limitations to the layout of the vehicle are reduced. Moreover, since the shift actuator is disposed in the space of the vehicle, the size of the vehicle can be decreased.
There is a problem, however, in that shift-actuator mounting accuracy must be sufficiently high because the shift actuator and a shift shaft of the transmission in the engine unit must be connected with the link mechanism.
Moreover, the shift shaft rotates not in one direction but in two directions of shifting to high gears and low gears. Accordingly, to perform a gear-shift operation correctly, the shift actuator must be held in a correct neutral position before operation. However, JP-A-2003-320861 offers no concrete propositions for ensuring the neutral position of the shift actuator.